Ed Tarkington

This book grabbed me, pretty much from the beginning. Rocky is a young boy who idolizes his cool older brother, even when it seems like things aren’t going so well for him. Even when he abandons Rocky in the woods. Even when he disappears, his high school girlfriend along for the ride.

Rocky is left to grow up in his small Virginia town without him, with his aging father and young mother, and some neighbors that he is a little too curious about. Especially the daughter, who is definitely show more too old for the teenager.

And then there’s the murder. And that’s when my spidey sense began to tingle.

The further I read, the more I realized the inspiration for Tarkington’s debut novel. The bones of the mystery belong to a well known murder case in Bedford County, Virginia. I won’t go into more specifics, because I don’t want to spoil anything for anyone that doesn’t want to be spoiled. But the deeper I got into it, the more I recognized it, thanks to being a bit of a true crime TV junkie. And even though I was then able to figure out the secret, I wasn’t upset at all. Frankly, I was tickled that I recognized it, and I’m rather surprised I haven’t seen it mentioned in any other reviews of the book.

But regardless of the spark of inspiration, this was a solid novel. Music fans will pick up on a lot of references, but everyone else can just enjoy a story that at its core is about family and the unbreakable bonds it can create. show less

"Charismatic Southern Republican Senator commits suicide."

Charlie Boykin thought he had escaped the past when Arch Creigh was the center of his world, when he had carried a torch for Arch's girlfriend, the beautiful Vanessa.

The news sends Charlie reeling back in time to when he was the fortunate recipient of a scholarship to an elite private school where met Arch and was invited into the homes of the wealthy and privileged. It was a world built on tradition, the personal quashed for the show more sake of appearance, a world of secret pain and forbidden love.

Charlie had left to forge his own way as an artist. But when his mother was dying, he returned. It was time to forgive, to accept human vulnerability and frailty. It was time to face his past.
...I knew what was gripping me was just nostalgia, but I needed to feel it and see it through to the end so I could go back without regrets.~from The Fortunate Ones by Ed Tarkington
Arch was forging a political career. He embraced conservative values--but his private life would scandalize his supporters.

Charlie wonders how the exceptional, wealthy, beautiful, Charlie with his billionaire wife Vanessa became the champion of the 'people.' "There is nothing in this world to which people connect more willingly in uncertain times than the appearance of genuine certainty," and Arch projected that surety. People were clamoring to "get behind a charismatic businessman with a smart, beautiful wife and a fortune in the bank."

Vanessa accepts the life she is expected to have, sharing her secret guilt and doubts only with Charlie.

This is the story of a young man growing up, a nostalgic remembrance of lost innocence and the revelation that our heroes have feet of clay. It is about ambition and masks, how privilege corrupts, and choosing to turning away from corruption. It is about the fickleness of the public and misguided devotion.

Who are the 'fortunate ones'? The heirs of wealth? Or, those accepted into their charmed circle? Or, is it those who, drawn by the golden siren lure, glimpse behind the facade, and escape?

The novel reminded me of Brideshead Revisited and The Great Gatsby, while also reflecting today's political climate.

I read this novel in two days, barely able to set it down.

I was given an ARC by the publisher in exchange for a fair and unbiased review. show less

I was completely captivated by this book. The prologue grabbed me when Charlie Boykin, an Army soldier, is stunned to learn of the suicide of a prominent Southern senator, a senator he knew well. I immediately wondered what the connection was between the two men.

We tend to be envious of “the fortunate ones”, the ones “born with a silver spoon in their mouths”. This is a strong character study told from the perspective of an outsider who has been granted access to the elitist show more insiders. Thus, we find that their lives are not as perfect as they appear. Tarkington writes of privilege and ambition, and of how that privilege corrupts.

Charlie, raised by his single mother, finds his life changed when he receives a scholarship to an elite private school. His assigned “big brother” Arch Creigh introduces him to a life where lack of money is not an everyday struggle. The relationships he forms with these families lie at the heart of this book. While at first, Charlie is loving his new life, he eventually is forced to recognize the corruption he sees in the lives of those who consider themselves the elite of society.

The superb writing flowed beautifully with no hiccups to disrupt the stream of the story. Tarkington really brought his characters to life. I had genuine feelings for them as they struggled with their vulnerabilities and frailties. I always love a story that forces one to question their own integrity. Will Charlie take the easy way out? Or will he take a stand against the wrongs he witnesses?

Thank you to the publisher Algonquin Books for an advance copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own. show less

The Fortunate Ones by Ed Tarkington is a very highly recommended literary coming-of-age story that also mixes in class differences with a political drama.

Charlie Boykin lived with his single mother and aunt on the working-class side of Nashville and relies on his friend to protect him until his mother arranges for him to be admitted as a scholarship student to the elite Yeatman school in the wealthy neighboring town of Belle Meade in the 1980's. Once there, Charlie is paired up with show more upperclassman, Archer Creigh, as his big brother. Arch embraces this role and introduces him to the world of privilege and wealth surrounding Yeatman and the students who attend the school. Charlie admires Arch's ease and causal acceptance of everything wealth entitles him too and falls in love with Arch's girlfriend, Vanessa. Charlie quickly adapts to life among the wealthy, although he never quit feels he is an equal. Yeatman does provide a safe place for his love of art to flourish. Charlie considers them friends, but does face several harsh truths and does end up distancing himself from everyone for a period of time.

In the opening of the novel, we know that Charlie is currently a Casualty Notification Officer for the Army. He learns that Arch committed suicide while visiting a family. This foreshadowing of what is to come looms over the whole story, which then goes back in time to follow the events leading up to the present.

The writing is absolutely superb in The Fortunate Ones. While it does resemble The Great Gatsby in some of the themes presented, it is definitely its own novel. Charlie is the narrator who feels a sense of loyalty, but also knows that his trust is misplaced. The stark contrast between Charlie's family with that of the wealthy, prestigious society families is clearly depicted and even as he feels acceptance, he also knows that he is not a part of them. He notices the acceptance of their privileged place in society, notes the deceit present, and sees details that they don't seem to recognize. Tarkington handles all his characters and the details surrounding their actions with a great deal of empathy and understanding even when they are exhibiting their worst behavior.

The character development is positively perfect. Tarkington allows the characters to tell the story in the narrative and the plot unfolds naturally from this. The result is characters who have a depth and complexity that resemble real life. Charlie's growing unease and questions about Arch develop naturally through the action in the plot. This is a coming-of-age story but it also covers a loss of innocence and begs the question how far does loyalty demand you go and does it require compromising your principles?

This is an excellent novel. I loved Tarkington's debut novel, Only Love Can Break Your Heart, and with The Fortunate Ones I am now decidedly a fan of his writing.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill .

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